Question about Dudley tips / Milk Duds

IntoTheRail

IntoTheRail

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Seeing lots of home made Milk Duds for sale in the Wanted/For Sale section recently. The prices seem to range anywhere from $4 to $10 depending on who made them. The actual Dudleys are on the Muellers site for $1.75 for a package of 3. However the description only says they are impregnated with milk and doesnt mention anything about being pressed. Does anyone have a picture of an actual Dudley they can post or can someone explain the difference between the Mueller ones and the home made variety?

Now that im looking at all the numbers that really is an insane mark up for a home made milk dud. I know the demand is out there and all but wow. If you buy a box of Elkmasters the tips are 36 cents each. A box of Dudleys will run about 50 cents per tip. So for a $4 milk dud that is over 1000% mark up from the original Elkmaster. I know it takes time to make them but that really seems excessive...maybe I'm just cheap.
 
The 'Dudleys' from Muellers are a hard tip (maybe med-hard) so I'm sure they are pressed... and I thought that I'd heard or read they were. Anyway, they're cheap.... just give them a try. My experience is the bottom half seems to be the best half.

td
 
IntoTheRail said:
Seeing lots of home made Milk Duds for sale in the Wanted/For Sale section recently. The prices seem to range anywhere from $4 to $10 depending on who made them. The actual Dudleys are on the Muellers site for $1.75 for a package of 3. However the description only says they are impregnated with milk and doesnt mention anything about being pressed. Does anyone have a picture of an actual Dudley they can post or can someone explain the difference between the Mueller ones and the home made variety?

Now that im looking at all the numbers that really is an insane mark up for a home made milk dud. I know the demand is out there and all but wow. If you buy a box of Elkmasters the tips are 36 cents each. A box of Dudleys will run about 50 cents per tip. So for a $4 milk dud that is over 1000% mark up from the original Elkmaster. I know it takes time to make them but that really seems excessive...maybe I'm just cheap.
Click to expand...

I tried the Dudleys, and was disappointed. The tip just felt too soft and mushy for my tastes. I swear by the original Milk Duds made by Mike Johnson of Jensen Cues...and yes, they are worth every bit of the $10 single tip price! Now, your savings come by buying them @ 3/$25...and the shipping is included, if I am not mistaken, in both price points. That brings the actual cost of the tip down, when factoring this in.

As to the markup....first of all, not all Elkmasters are created equal. Much like the Triangles, you may have to go through quite a few to find the 'good' ones. This now actually drives up the price per tip, dependent on the number of 'throw aways' per box.

I am all for saving money where I can...but given that the tip can be one of the most important (and least expensive) components of a cue, and how well it does or does not play...why would you be worried about scrimping on a relatively few $$$?

Lisa
 
I had never tried a "milk dud" tip of any kind until recently. I now have one from Pooldawg on my new player and I love it. Little too soft, but not to bad. I think that once i get used to it, i will love it even more.

At $4 a pop, thats dirt cheap to me...
 
poolhustler said:
I had never tried a "milk dud" tip of any kind until recently. I now have one from Pooldawg on my new player and I love it. Little too soft, but not to bad. I think that once i get used to it, i will love it even more.

At $4 a pop, thats dirt cheap to me...
Click to expand...

I use Jeffs aka pooldawg8 and I think they are great
They are also $4
 
In a world where a $20-25 dollar tip is not uncommon (i.e. Kamui, Moori, Tiger Onyx, Sniper, etc), $10 is a good deal, and $4 is a steal. And like Lisa said, why be an el-cheapo when it comes to the tip when it's one of the most important and controllable factors of a cue? Just my opinion.
 
IntoTheRail said:
I know it takes time to make them but that really seems excessive...maybe I'm just cheap.
Click to expand...

You made no reference to the REAL Milk Duds, made by Mike Johnson (Jensen cues). They're worth $25 each to me. Fortunately, I don't have to pay that.

Also, do you realize that Kamui tips (and many other popular tips) cost considerably more, yet are considered a mass-produced tip as opposed to Mike's time intensive manual labor, pressing each one by hand??

Comparing the cost of raw materials (tip) to the finished Milk Dud is like comparing the cost of paint, brushes and canvas to a rare work of art.


-von
 
VonRhett said:
Also, do you realize that Kamui tips (and many other popular tips) cost considerably more, yet are considered a mass-produced tip as opposed to Mike's time intensive manual labor, pressing each one by hand??

Comparing the cost of raw materials (tip) to the finished Milk Dud is like comparing the cost of paint, brushes and canvas to a rare work of art.
 -von
Click to expand...

Or ... maybe a little closer to home ... the cost of ebony, maple, bocote, purpleheart, etc. turning squares to the cost of a finished, custom cue.
 
VonRhett said:
You made no reference to the REAL Milk Duds, made by Mike Johnson (Jensen cues). They're worth $25 each to me. Fortunately, I don't have to pay that.

Also, do you realize that Kamui tips (and many other popular tips) cost considerably more, yet are considered a mass-produced tip as opposed to Mike's time intensive manual labor, pressing each one by hand??

Comparing the cost of raw materials (tip) to the finished Milk Dud is like comparing the cost of paint, brushes and canvas to a rare work of art.


-von
Click to expand...

Hehehe...no, but I did. ;) They flat out rock!!
 
Me too

peteypooldude said:
I use Jeffs aka pooldawg8 and I think they are greatThey are also $4
Click to expand...


Ditto.

Mine seem to be medium hard. A nice hit. My cue builder likes em-says they turn and shape well. They seem to come pressed enough to become 14mm. (cut mine down to 13mm)

I've played it for about 2 months-no mushrooming/haven't had to reshape yet.

Works for me. Price is right. Jeff is a good guy.

Take care
 
VonRhett said:
You made no reference to the REAL Milk Duds, made by Mike Johnson (Jensen cues). They're worth $25 each to me. Fortunately, I don't have to pay that.

Also, do you realize that Kamui tips (and many other popular tips) cost considerably more, yet are considered a mass-produced tip as opposed to Mike's time intensive manual labor, pressing each one by hand??

Comparing the cost of raw materials (tip) to the finished Milk Dud is like comparing the cost of paint, brushes and canvas to a rare work of art.


-von
Click to expand...

Come on man, time intensive manual labor? You make it sound like he presses each one by squeezing it between his fingers for days at a time.

I understand that $4 isnt much in the grand scheme of things and that the tip is a crucial element of the pool cue. I just cant help but feel im getting kind of ripped off paying for something like that. Kind of the same feeling I get if I dont change my own oil but pay for it to be done. Especially when it is 100% possible for me to make them myself for pennies on the dollar. However, I cant make that same argument when talking about a Kamui or any other layered tip. Now that seems more like a time consuming labor intensive process to me that I could never duplicate on my own, so I dont mind the price.
 
IntoTheRail said:
Come on man, time intensive manual labor? You make it sound like he presses each one by squeezing it between his fingers for days at a time.

I understand that $4 isnt much in the grand scheme of things and that the tip is a crucial element of the pool cue. I just cant help but feel im getting kind of ripped off paying for something like that. Kind of the same feeling I get if I dont change my own oil but pay for it to be done. Especially when it is 100% possible for me to make them myself for pennies on the dollar. However, I cant make that same argument when talking about a Kamui or any other layered tip. Now that seems more like a time consuming labor intensive process to me that I could never duplicate on my own, so I dont mind the price.
Click to expand...

I charge $4 a piece for my duds & I think the price is pretty reasonable, considering that includes paypal fees & shipping fees. Yes you can get a box of elkmaster tips fairly reasonable, but what about the time,effort,material used, and machine knowlegde needed to make a tip press just to get started. Then you waste tips just to get all the bugs worked out, until your satisfied with the end product which I am. If you want to spend $20 or $25 on a tip for your cue so be it. Different strokes for different folks. Everyone can make there own decission on which tip they want to buy.
 
pooldawg8 said:
I charge $4 a piece for my duds & I think the price is pretty reasonable, considering that includes paypal fees & shipping fees. Yes you can get a box of elkmaster tips fairly reasonable, but what about the time,effort,material used, and machine knowlegde needed to make a tip press just to get started. Then you waste tips just to get all the bugs worked out, until your satisfied with the end product which I am. If you want to spend $20 or $25 on a tip for your cue so be it. Different strokes for different folks. Everyone can make there own decission on which tip they want to buy.
Click to expand...

You are right, $4 isnt a bad price. I didnt really think about shipping and paypal and handling and all that jazz. I still thinks 10 bucks is stretching it though.
 
The price of a product depends on what the market will pay for it, not the cost.

Market determines price, cost determines profit/loss.
 
So...let me understand this...basically, you came on here to b*tch about the price of a product that you have no intentions of buying? This thread was nothing more than a waste of bandwidth, IMHO.

Lisa
 
ridewiththewind said:
So...let me understand this...basically, you came on here to b*tch about the price of a product that you have no intentions of buying? This thread was nothing more than a waste of bandwidth, IMHO.

Lisa
Click to expand...

Pretty much sums it up - perhaps he is falling behind in the
nit-of-the-year standings.

The obvious question to the OP is: why not make them yourself?

Dale
 
Not all are created equal

It's my understanding that when you buy a box of Elkmasters, there are always 'duds' that need to be thrown out. Even the making of a milk dud process won't correct an already 'dud' tip. So, the price per tip goes up a little when you consider the fact that before even making them, several are getting thrown out.
I buy mine from pooldawg8 at $4.00 a tip, and usually buy them in lot's of 10-20. From there I keep 4-5 for myself, and either flip the others for $5.00 a pop, or do tip changes for local players for $20 including the tip.
Considering I was (and am) a real fan of Kamuii tips at $15.95 a piece, I'm not only saving money, but in doing the math, I haven't paid for a single tip since I've switched to milk duds. I either make enough selling them, or doing tip jobs with them to cover the cost of my own personal tips.
For me, a markup of close to 1000% doesn't bother me at all when I can still get my milk for only $4.00 a pop. They're still a better deal than any other tip I've ever used. Like I say, by selling them at a mark up of 20% over what I get them for, I'm selling them to friends at a profit of $1 per tip so that my own tips pay for themselves.
In addition to cost, these duds are a great tip. I like them just as much, and more when it comes to ease of installation, as the Kamuii tips that I swore by for so many years. So the price/quality ratio makes them a no brainer for me.
dave
 
pdcue said:
Pretty much sums it up - perhaps he is falling behind in the
nit-of-the-year standings.

The obvious question to the OP is: why not make them yourself?

Dale
Click to expand...

Yeah im a nit. I happen to like my money and dont want to pay a 3000% percent markup for an elkmaster that has been soaked and pressed.

I may just make one at some point in the future. Maybe I will make the worlds best milk dud in all the land. Then I will sell them at cost just to **** everybody else over. Cuz im a nit like that.
 
ridewiththewind said:
So...let me understand this...basically, you came on here to b*tch about the price of a product that you have no intentions of buying? This thread was nothing more than a waste of bandwidth, IMHO.

Lisa
Click to expand...

Enough with the hate Lisa. I actually wanted to get some info on the Dudley tips. I even asked if anyone had a picture of them. But in my research of said tips there seemed to be a large pricing gap for basically the same product.

So I apologize if my thread wasnt world changing enough for you.I know all the other threads on this forum provide such a service to the billiard community. It was foolish of me to even make an attempt.
 
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